Near the Solomon Islands was a strong earthquake

Earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred on Sunday in the South Pacific islands of Santa Cruz, the state-owned Solomon Islands. According to the Australian Seismological Service, its epicenter was at a depth of 100 km. Aftershocks were felt in a radius of 169 km. Information on the destruction and casualties were reported.

Frequent earthquakes in this remote area of Oceania — not uncommon. Santa Cruz Islands are part of the so-called Ring of Fire, towering over three giant tectonic plates, which are due to the constant shifting of the eruption of underwater volcanoes, releasing enormous amounts of energy. In 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami in the Solomon Islands, killing more than 50 people. Then left homeless thousands of islanders, told Itar-Tass.